It is generally known in the art that a rotary oil-type damper device can be incorporated as a mechanism for controlling the opening and closing of doors and drawers in order to absorb the shock imparted by an external force. For example, when the openable object is a sliding ashtray installed in the dashboard of an automotive vehicle the sudden impact opening may cause the contents therein to be tossed or scattered all over the passenger, seat and floor of the vehicle. In order to avoid this type of problem, there has been provided in the prior art, rotary damper devices for absorbing the impact created between the main body and the openable object.
These prior art rotary damper devices typically include a stationary housing and a rotor having a toothed wheel gear. The toothed wheel gear is generally adapted for mesh engagement with a gear rack fixed to a portion of the openable object (that is, a sliding or rotating ashtray). The stationary housing is adapted to be attached to the main body (stationary ashtray housing). In operation, the damper device is normally statically fixed to a panel with the gear on the damper device being held against the mating gear rack. As a result, these prior art damper devices suffer from the problem of ratcheting or gear skipping where the gear rack separates away from the gear of the damper device. This can be caused by a number of factors, such as molding variations, problems in manufacturing of the parts, heating cycles and the like. If the distance between the damper gear and the mating gear rack is too small, there is produced added friction between the component parts which may render binding and possible premature damper failure. On the other hand, when the distance between the damper gear and the gear rack is too large, there is caused the ratcheting or gear skipping problem.
Furthermore, since these component parts are generally made of plastic they will have varying dimensions due to ambient temperature changes. In addition, the component parts may be warped during the course of prolonged use thereby creating the problem of misalignment. As a result, the damper device will again experience a failure in its operation.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a floating gear damper of a unique construction like that of the present invention which includes anti-ratcheting guide means for preventing disengagement between a gear of the damper and a mating gear rack when a sliding or rotating tray is moved or rotated in and out of a stationary housing. It would also be expedient to provide the damper with an improved mounting means so as to permit it to float as the damper gear follows the gear rack. The floating gear damper of the present invention represents a significant improvement over the prior art rotary dampening devices.